Shadow's Return
by Molly Renata
Summary: AU, sequel to Crystal Feathers. The miasma has returned, and no one knows why... Full summary inside. Please R&R.
1. Stubborn Shadow

Shadow's Return: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based 2 years after 'Crystal Feathers'

Summary: Nebilim's will had been broken for a final time, and Symphonia was finally at peace after four years of hard fighting. The group that saved Symphonia parted ways, expecting to never see each other again.

However, the miasma has returned, and Lloyd has no idea why. The Tower of Destruction's ground is concealed by a rolling shadow, one that threatens to conceal the land. At the same time, the crystals have returned, obviously to defend the land... so there are obviously two opposing forces at work.

Lloyd sets out once again on a journey to save the world. However, this time he will be saving more than just the world...

Pairings: LloydxColette, SheenaxZelos and KylexReala will be the predominant pairings, with a few sprinklings of others, especially LonixNanaly and LeonxMarian.

Author's Note: Okay, this is what you call serious AU. This fanfic is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Crystal Feathers, which was the third in a series dubbed 'Rising Shadow'. If you'll notice, the entire series thus far has had the same rating, with sexual references and language generally increasing with time. I can't guarantee anything about this fanfic, so please expect anything.

There will be big-time spoilers for Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2, so if you do not desire to be spoiled on any of these games, do not read on.

In this fanfic, who was Judas in Crystal Feathers is now Leon. There is a reason for this that was easily explained in Crystal Feathers, if you've read the fanfic.

To all you ZelosxSheena haters, I advise you stay very far away from this fanfic. Reason why? Zelos and Sheena are _married_ in this fanfic. Yep, that's right. It happened around a year after Crystal Feathers, which was why it wasn't mentioned in CF.

Some of you may have noticed that although KratosxRaine is indeed an official pairing in this fanfic series, there haven't been very many references to it in the actual series. There is a reason for this that I hope you've realized by now: I do not wish to offend any of the purists who happen to read my fanfic. This is to encourage more readers (and hopefully, more reviewers), while still keeping the interest of those that like the pairing.

This fanfic is based two years after Crystal Feathers, four years after To Kill An Angel, six years after Rising Shadow. For those of you who can't do the math, Lloyd is 23, Colette is 22, Zelos is 28, Sheena is 25, Genis is 18, Presea is 18, Raine is 29, Abyssion is 29, Leviathan is 22, Seles is 20, Allurya is 10, Mithos is 18, Karina is 17, Kyle is 17, Reala is 18, Loni is 25, Nanaly is 21, and Leon is 18. Stahn and Rutee have also removed their Cruxis Crystals, and therefore they are, respectively, 21 and 20. Philia is 21 as well, but she is expected to be featured less than the other Swordian masters.

This fanfic has the _potential_ to introduce some more characters later on; if so, they will most likely be from either Tales of Destiny 2 or Tales of Eternia. I already have planned another Tales of Destiny 2 introduction... you'll see just who later on ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Prologue: Stubborn Shadow

_Mithos' P.O.V._

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

It's been a long time since I last saw one of these crystals. So long, in fact, that it seems it's been forever... it's amazing how just six years can change everything.

Miasma has returned to Symphonia... we're not really sure why. Niflheim was sealed a long time ago... I don't see why the miasma should return. But then again, there must be two forces at work, because the crystals have also returned. It's kinda strange, really...

I once heard from Kyle Dunamis that the more you look at something, the more it's bound to change. It seems that way with Symphonia... we've been looking at it for so long and it's changed so much. But this time, it's back to what it was in the beginning... the same decrepit state that it was six years ago.

Judas has changed his name, back to Leon. With the evolution of his Cruxis Crystal, he's also started to age again. He doesn't seem quite so gloomy and depressed anymore, either... I think with the return of his beloved sister as well as Marian, he's finally been able to become human again. I can't help but feel sorry for him... I understand his hardships, and I think there's really only one person who's held me together this entire time.

Karina... I've finally been able to tell her how I feel about her. She accepted it, taking it in stride, and we've been living fine ever since. It just seems like so much of a change from the ordinary... but thankfully, I've finally been able to _live_ again, for the first time in four thousand years.

Stahn and Rutee have returned to normal as well. They had Cruxis Crystals implanted in their bodies for approximately twenty-three years, and finally decided to remove them after Kaziro's will was broken from their Swordians.

And Garr... he passed on two years ago. He was killed in battle by who was then known as Judas... Philia still mourns his loss, though she handles it as best she can. I received his Swordian afterwards. Igtenos has taken quite a liking to me since... it seems to not mind being controlled by someone new.

Lloyd and Colette are married, and they have been for about one and a half years. I'm glad to see them together... it just seems so natural, y'know?

And Zelos and Sheena... they were married as well. It's amazing how they've managed to stay together, considering how they once acted toward each other. But they seem happy together, and you won't see me complaining...

I haven't heard much from Kyle and Reala, though I'd assume they're living happily ever after. Similarly, I haven't heard much from Loni, but Nanaly is keeping me up-to-date on him. I hope they've all realized what's happening to Symphonia...

Abyssion seems to have disappeared, as has Allurya. I don't know where they've gone off to, but I hope they return soon.

All in all, it's been an interesting past two years. I hope I can meet up with the others and tell them about our danger. Hopefully they'll realize it as well, what exactly is going on, because if they don't... no, I dare not think of what will happen...

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Author's Note: This starts off the fanfic on a relatively light note. Expect that to change drastically in the next chapter.


	2. Troublesome Worries

Shadow's Return: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based 2 years after 'Crystal Feathers'

Summary: Nebilim's will had been broken for a final time, and Symphonia was finally at peace after four years of hard fighting. The group that saved Symphonia parted ways, expecting to never see each other again.

However, the miasma has returned, and Lloyd has no idea why. The Tower of Destruction's ground is concealed by a rolling shadow, one that threatens to conceal the land. At the same time, the crystals have returned, obviously to defend the land... so there are obviously two opposing forces at work.

Lloyd sets out once again on a journey to save the world. However, this time he will be saving more than just the world...

Pairings: LloydxColette, SheenaxZelos and KylexReala will be the predominant pairings, with a few sprinklings of others, especially LonixNanaly and LeonxMarian.

Author's Note: Okay, this is what you call serious AU. This fanfic is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Crystal Feathers, which was the third in a series dubbed 'Rising Shadow'. If you'll notice, the entire series thus far has had the same rating, with sexual references and language generally increasing with time. I can't guarantee anything about this fanfic, so please expect anything.

There will be big-time spoilers for Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2, so if you do not desire to be spoiled on any of these games, do not read on.

In this fanfic, who was Judas in Crystal Feathers is now Leon. There is a reason for this that was easily explained in Crystal Feathers, if you've read the fanfic.

To all you ZelosxSheena haters, I advise you stay very far away from this fanfic. Reason why? Zelos and Sheena are _married_ in this fanfic. Yep, that's right. It happened around a year after Crystal Feathers, which was why it wasn't mentioned in CF.

Some of you may have noticed that although KratosxRaine is indeed an official pairing in this fanfic series, there haven't been very many references to it in the actual series. There is a reason for this that I hope you've realized by now: I do not wish to offend any of the purists who happen to read my fanfic. This is to encourage more readers (and hopefully, more reviewers), while still keeping the interest of those that like the pairing.

This fanfic is based two years after Crystal Feathers, four years after To Kill An Angel, six years after Rising Shadow. For those of you who can't do the math, Lloyd is 23, Colette is 22, Zelos is 28, Sheena is 25, Genis is 18, Presea is 18, Raine is 29, Abyssion is 29, Leviathan is 22, Seles is 20, Allurya is 10, Mithos is 18, Karina is 17, Kyle is 17, Reala is 18, Loni is 25, Nanaly is 21, and Leon is 18. Stahn and Rutee have also removed their Cruxis Crystals, and therefore they are, respectively, 21 and 20. Philia is 21 as well, but she is expected to be featured less than the other Swordian masters.

This fanfic has the _potential_ to introduce some more characters later on; if so, they will most likely be from either Tales of Destiny 2 or Tales of Eternia. I already have planned another Tales of Destiny 2 introduction... you'll see just who later on ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Chapter 1: Troublesome Worries

_Third-Person P.O.V._

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Unbeknownst to Mithos, Kyle and Reala were out traveling with Loni and Nanaly. The four of them had decided to stop in Triet after a long day of traveling through the desert, as they had been seeking some combat experience.

As always, they had decided to get one room together. It was late in the evening when Kyle started feeling a little off.

**abc**

"Hey Kyle, what's wrong?" Loni asked, glancing at the pacing boy. "You've been acting really strange lately."

"Ah... it's nothing..." Kyle's voice seemed slightly strained. "I'm just... not really feeling that good..."

"Maybe you spent too much time outside," Reala suggested. "The desert heat gets to people quite easily."

Kyle sighed. "I wish it was just that... but I think there's something else too... I've been worrying about all this miasma lately... where did it come from? Why did it suddenly appear again? There are so many questions I have, none of which I can answer..."

"I'd say don't worry about it," Nanaly said. "Sure, the miasma's coming back, but as long as we find out why, we can just seal it away again."

"I don't think it's quite that simple," Reala said. "The miasma is some powerful stuff. It was easy enough to seal the first time since all Lloyd had to do was defeat Nebilim, but now the situation is different."

"We don't know where the miasma is coming from," Loni said. "It was coming from the Tower of Destruction the first time around. This time... it's coming from... seemingly nowhere."

"I read something about that last night," Kyle said. "It said that there was someone who lived a thousand years ago, a follower of Nebilim. His name was Barbatos Goetia. It seems he had the ability to create miasma, but never used it since there was basically no need. He's dead now, but that was a pretty sobering tale."

"He must've had a Crystal of the Underworld as well," Nanaly said. "All the servants of Nebilim who were in that high a position must've had one."

"This Barbatos sounds like a pretty scary guy," Loni said. "I'm just glad he's not alive anymore."

"There's still a possibility he could be alive," Reala said. "Remember, the Crystals of the Underworld are Cruxis Crystals too, albeit cursed ones. His spirit probably still lives on in the crystal."

Loni glanced at Reala, tilting his head. "That's a pretty sobering thought right there. I'll be careful to look out for anybody who seems to have a non-physical body."

"I hope that was a joke," Kyle muttered. "Remember, Marian's still alive..."

"Yeah, well," Loni said. "That's a different case. If this Barbatos has somehow come back to life, I doubt he'd be in the same situation as Marian."

Reala suddenly looked off into what seemed to be nowhere. "I hope Stahn is okay..."

"He'll be fine," Loni said. "I'm sure Leon's keepin' an eye out for him. Besides, he's my dad, why wouldn't he be okay?"

"Loni has a point," Nanaly said. "Stahn's pretty strong. He won't go down too easily."

"Thanks," Reala said. "I really hope you're right..."

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

The four travelers passed their time chatting, mostly about the journey that lay ahead of them and the friends they wished to meet again. The evening quickly faded into night, and before long it was time to go to bed.

Kyle and Reala shared their own bed, and the ensuing confusion at Loni's remark involving that fact quickly faded. Loni and Nanaly decided to have separate beds, at least until one certain occurrence.

**abc**

"No... this can't be..." Nanaly was saying something in her sleep, and she was clearly disturbed, trembling. "This... just can't be happening..."

Loni noticed this, and quickly walked over to Nanaly's bed, reaching over a hand and shaking her gently. "Nanaly! Wake up!"

Nanaly rolled over, opening her eyes and facing Loni. "Wha..."

"You were talking in your sleep," Loni said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think," Nanaly replied. "Just a nightmare..."

Loni nodded. "I don't think you should be sleeping alone. You seem to be prone to nightmares... mind if I hop in?"

"Nah, not really," Nanaly said. "Just... don't do anything real _funny_, okay?"

"Oh, hell no," Loni said. "I don't think the two of us are close enough to do _that_ yet. Besides, don't you hate me?"

As Loni got into bed beside her, Nanaly shook her head. "No, I don't hate you... it's just, sometimes you're a little over-the-top."

"A _little_ over-the-top," Loni remarked, grinning. "I thought you said I was a _lot_ over-the-top... practically all the time. Damn, you've changed a lot."

"You've changed a lot too," Nanaly said. "You're not nearly as perverted as you were two years ago. And I guess... that's what I like about you."

"So you really _do_ love me," Loni said, his grin widening.

Nanaly glared at Loni. "Who ever said anything about love? I like you, and that's how it's gonna stay."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Loni said, bearing a more serious expression. "I mean, we could move on in life, have kids, live a family life..."

Nanaly inched closer to Loni, shivering a bit. "You may want to do that, but I'd rather not think about it right now." She paused for a moment. "Wait... of _course_ you want to have kids. You're always blabbering about how sexually appealing various females are..."

"Oh come on," Loni said. "You know you're the best of the bunch." He gently pulled Nanaly closer to him. "You're getting cold. Why don't you stick by me?"

"Yeah, I guess," Nanaly said, allowing herself to contact Loni's body. "Besides... at the very least, you love me, so you wouldn't mind it."

"Of course I love you, hunny," Loni said, grinning at the word. "I've always loved you from the time I first set eyes on you."

Nanaly snuggled closer to Loni. "Mm... you're nice and warm."

"Still acting like a kid, I see," Loni said, his ever-present grin widening. "Well, I can keep you warm for a while, at least until your cold rubs off on me." He laughed a little.

"I'm not _that_ much of a kid," Nanaly muttered. "I'm just following natural human instinct to stick close to whatever is warm."

"And that warmth happens to be from your soon-to-be lover," Loni said, smirking.

Nanaly smacked him. "You better not do anything funny!"

"Relax," Loni said. "I was just joking. Besides, doesn't it feel nice to be so close to somebody?"

"Yeah, it does." Nanaly allowed her head to rest against Loni's chest. "It's really a lot better than being alone... I should do this more."

Loni wrapped one of his arms around Nanaly's body, holding her close. "You can't say you don't love me now, y'know."

Nanaly nodded. "Yes, I know. I guess I love you after all."

The two drifted off into sleep, still holding each other close.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Author's Note: A little fluff and a little chatting. That's basically all this chapter was. Although I think that got just a little too fluffy there, y'know:P


	3. Target Aileron

Shadow's Return: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based 2 years after 'Crystal Feathers'

Summary: Nebilim's will had been broken for a final time, and Symphonia was finally at peace after four years of hard fighting. The group that saved Symphonia parted ways, expecting to never see each other again.

However, the miasma has returned, and Lloyd has no idea why. The Tower of Destruction's ground is concealed by a rolling shadow, one that threatens to conceal the land. At the same time, the crystals have returned, obviously to defend the land... so there are obviously two opposing forces at work.

Lloyd sets out once again on a journey to save the world. However, this time he will be saving more than just the world...

Pairings: LloydxColette, SheenaxZelos and KylexReala will be the predominant pairings, with a few sprinklings of others, especially LonixNanaly and LeonxMarian.

Author's Note: Okay, this is what you call serious AU. This fanfic is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Crystal Feathers, which was the third in a series dubbed 'Rising Shadow'. If you'll notice, the entire series thus far has had the same rating, with sexual references and language generally increasing with time. I can't guarantee anything about this fanfic, so please expect anything.

There will be big-time spoilers for Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2, so if you do not desire to be spoiled on any of these games, do not read on.

In this fanfic, who was Judas in Crystal Feathers is now Leon. There is a reason for this that was easily explained in Crystal Feathers, if you've read the fanfic.

To all you ZelosxSheena haters, I advise you stay very far away from this fanfic. Reason why? Zelos and Sheena are _married_ in this fanfic. Yep, that's right. It happened around a year after Crystal Feathers, which was why it wasn't mentioned in CF.

Some of you may have noticed that although KratosxRaine is indeed an official pairing in this fanfic series, there haven't been very many references to it in the actual series. There is a reason for this that I hope you've realized by now: I do not wish to offend any of the purists who happen to read my fanfic. This is to encourage more readers (and hopefully, more reviewers), while still keeping the interest of those that like the pairing.

This fanfic is based two years after Crystal Feathers, four years after To Kill An Angel, six years after Rising Shadow. For those of you who can't do the math, Lloyd is 23, Colette is 22, Zelos is 28, Sheena is 25, Genis is 18, Presea is 18, Raine is 29, Abyssion is 29, Leviathan is 22, Seles is 20, Allurya is 10, Mithos is 18, Karina is 17, Kyle is 17, Reala is 18, Loni is 25, Nanaly is 21, and Leon is 18. Stahn and Rutee have also removed their Cruxis Crystals, and therefore they are, respectively, 21 and 20. Philia is 21 as well, but she is expected to be featured less than the other Swordian masters.

This fanfic has the _potential_ to introduce some more characters later on; if so, they will most likely be from either Tales of Destiny 2 or Tales of Eternia. I already have planned another Tales of Destiny 2 introduction... you'll see just who later on ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Chapter 2: Target Aileron

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It had started off as a normal rainy day, like all the others that had been plaguing the Iselia region for the past three weeks. The endless rain had seemed to isolate Iselia from the rest of Sylvarant, the clouds obscuring the sun whilst the rest of Sylvarant saw clear skies.

However, what started off as a rainy day would not end as one. In the late afternoon, a particularly strong thunderstorm rocked the region, accompanied by a most peculiar wind from the south. When the storm had passed, Stahn, who was staying with Lloyd, encountered a most peculiar person, along with the same Kaziro they had defeated two years ago.

**abc**

"Stahn, I wish to speak with you." Kaziro's voice was stern, as if he brought grave news.

Stahn nodded. "Kinda hard to trust you after what you did two years ago, but go ahead."

"First of all, Leon has disappeared," Kaziro said. "I have no idea where he or Marian have gone. The last I heard, he said he was going to the Tower of Destruction's ground to see what was going on."

"And that's not all," the red-haired person standing beside Kaziro said. "I heard there have been numerous attacks on various towns all about Sylvarant, but none in Tethe'alla have been affected. It is unknown who is leading this movement, but the attackers call themselves the 'Atamoni'." He shook his head, sending water flying in all directions. "It's pretty wet out here, maybe we should come on inside."

Stahn nodded, backing off. "Come on in, I'm not stopping you."

The two people entered the house, with the redhead closing the door behind himself.

"Trust me on this, Stahn," Kaziro said. "I've changed. Nebilim's will has been broken... all thanks to the work of your dearest friend Leon."

"Leon..." Stahn closed his eyes. "I wonder what happened to him... I hope he's okay."

"He should be fine," Kaziro said. "I know Leon. He's strong."

Stahn opened his eyes and glanced at the red-haired person. "Who's he?"

"I'm Reid," the person replied. "Reid Hershel. I'm from the Palmacosta region, and I've made acquaintances with a few unlikely people."

"I'd like to meet your friends someday," Stahn said, grinning. "But for now, I want to know." His grin faded. "Do you know anything about these 'Atamoni' people?"

"I worked with them for a while," Reid replied. "They were originally an organization against the Desians, but they've recently turned sour."

"Another thing, Stahn," Kaziro said. "You should watch out for the new leader of Atamoni. He is a descendant of someone in a time long past us, one who was a follower of Nebilim. And he has his eyes dead-set on you..."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Stahn said. "Has the Crystal of Barbatos been found?"

"Not yet," Kaziro said. "But I'll look for it. Might you have any idea where Lloyd-"

He was cut off by a massive explosion from deep within the forest. Stahn's eyes widened, and he quickly shot out the door, not even bothering to notice that Reid was following close behind him.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

"So, I see you've come." A creature that appeared to be mostly humanoid with the tail and legs of a Ktugach stepped out of the brush, his eyes glowing red. "Atamoni has been looking for you for quite some time."

"You can't be serious," Stahn said. "I thought you knew, I'm of little significance to the world now. Dymlos is old and worn-out, and the other Swordians aren't even here."

"That's where you're wrong," the creature said. "Dymlos is not old and worn-out. It is just as capable as if it were new. And the other Swordians... remember your little _friend_ Rutee left hers here?"

Stahn growled. "Don't insult Rutee!"

"Oh, yes, of course, that's right," the creature said, an evil grin growing on its face. "Just because you made love to her, she's automatically better than all the other Swordian masters. I should've known that by now."

Reid drew his sword. "And just who are you, he who believes he can insult a Swordian master and get away with it?"

"I'm one of Atamoni's latest recruits," the creature said. "I am Tykerion, Lord of Flame Quadrant and second only to Atamoni's leader himself."

"Atamoni..." Reid's eyes narrowed. "If it can bring you back to the side of light, I'll have to kill you!" He loosed a Double Demon Fang, which Tykerion swiftly evaded.

Another person, this time fully human, walked up behind Tykerion. "Come on, Sir. We can't be screwing around here. We'll kill Stahn later."

Tykerion glared back at the soldier, then gutted him with a clawed foot. "Hmph... he was worthless anyhow." Then, he turned to face Stahn again. "You're my next target, you know."

"How brutal..." Stahn's eyes widened. "You... you can't just... kill people like that..."

"And if I can't?" Tykerion folded his arms in front of his chest. "It's not like you're gonna make me stop it or anything."

"Okay, now you've just gone over the top," Reid said. "I'll make sure Mjollnir here is happy when I'm done with you!"

"Mjollnir, huh," Tykerion said, smirking. "I've always wondered where that sword got itself to." He drew a sword of his own from behind his back. "It was always such a glamorous sword in comparison to its counterpart, Poseidon."

Stahn glanced at Reid's sword, only to notice something about it that he hadn't noticed before. It was colored with a translucent purplish-blue, almost like the Vorpal Sword, except darker. Its blade was long and curved, with a serrated inner edge and a smooth, well-sharpened outer edge. A notch cut through the middle of the blade, making it have the appearance of a lightning bolt.

Reid held out the blade of the sword. "You can't defeat me if you don't have Poseidon, you know. Those two swords are opposing forces."

"That's where you're wrong," Tykerion said. "Only the weaklings believe that a sword can only be defeated by its counterpart."

Tykerion quickly launched a Fierce Demon Fang which knocked back both Stahn and Reid. However, Reid quickly got up and brought his own sword forward, performing Lightning Strike.

Stahn seemed amazed at this. _Is he infused with Aionis or something...?_

"You won't be returning to Atamoni," Tykerion said. "As long as you continue to work against it, you will never be able to join up with it again."

And with that, Tykerion smacked the side of Reid's head with the flat of his blade, knocking him out. Tykerion then left, summoning forth flaming wings of mana and taking to the sky.

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

"Reid! Are you okay?"

Reid opened his eyes slowly, noticing that there was someone standing above him. He was also lying down on a bed, and had a massive headache.

"Ugh... where am I?" Reid was confused, glancing around. "And... who are you?"

"I'm Lloyd," the person standing above Reid said. "I figured you would've known me, judging by how Kaziro was talking about me."

"Oh, yes, you," Reid said. "But where am I?"

"You're at my house," Lloyd replied. "I saw you knocked out in the forest, so I decided to take you in. You're Kaziro's companion, right? What's your name?"

"I'm Reid," the red-headed swordsman replied. "I was looking for you."

"Well, hello, Reid," Lloyd said. "Looks like you have your wish. I can talk to you later... but for now, just rest, okay? You look like you got beaten up pretty bad."

"I was attacked," Reid said. "Someone named Tykerion... he seemed to be half human and half Ktugach. He said he was part of Atamoni."

"Kaziro told me about that," Lloyd said. "He also told me to watch out for the four sector leaders. Maybe Tykerion was one of them?"

"Yeah," Reid said. "He's the Lord of the Flame Quadrant. He said it himself."

"Lord of the Flame Quadrant, huh," Lloyd said. "That doesn't sound good. We should keep an eye out for him."

"I wanted to look for Kyle, myself," Reid said. "That's why I was coming to get you. We're supposed to head south today, so we can hopefully catch up to him."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Lloyd said. "I've been wanting to see Kyle again myself for a while." He looked off into space. "Man, I wish that kid would stop running off on us..."

**abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz**

Author's Note: Yeah, I know, crappy action. But we've had our first Eternia character revealed, as well as a baddie! And Kaziro's turned back to the side of good... I hope you all saw that coming at the end of Crystal Feathers, because otherwise...


	4. Return of the Masked Swordsman

Shadow's Return: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based 2 years after 'Crystal Feathers'

Summary: Nebilim's will had been broken for a final time, and Symphonia was finally at peace after four years of hard fighting. The group that saved Symphonia parted ways, expecting to never see each other again.

However, the miasma has returned, and Lloyd has no idea why. The Tower of Destruction's ground is concealed by a rolling shadow, one that threatens to conceal the land. At the same time, the crystals have returned, obviously to defend the land... so there are obviously two opposing forces at work.

Lloyd sets out once again on a journey to save the world. However, this time he will be saving more than just the world...

Pairings: LloydxColette, SheenaxZelos and KylexReala will be the predominant pairings, with a few sprinklings of others, especially LonixNanaly and LeonxMarian.

Author's Note: Okay, this is what you call serious AU. This fanfic is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Crystal Feathers, which was the third in a series dubbed 'Rising Shadow'. If you'll notice, the entire series thus far has had the same rating, with sexual references and language generally increasing with time. I can't guarantee anything about this fanfic, so please expect anything.

There will be big-time spoilers for Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2, so if you do not desire to be spoiled on any of these games, do not read on.

There will be a few changes in this chapter, you'll see soon...

To all you ZelosxSheena haters, I advise you stay very far away from this fanfic. Reason why? Zelos and Sheena are _married_ in this fanfic. Yep, that's right. It happened around a year after Crystal Feathers, which was why it wasn't mentioned in CF.

Some of you may have noticed that although KratosxRaine is indeed an official pairing in this fanfic series, there haven't been very many references to it in the actual series. There is a reason for this that I hope you've realized by now: I do not wish to offend any of the purists who happen to read my fanfic. This is to encourage more readers (and hopefully, more reviewers), while still keeping the interest of those that like the pairing.

This fanfic is based two years after Crystal Feathers, four years after To Kill An Angel, six years after Rising Shadow. For those of you who can't do the math, Lloyd is 23, Colette is 22, Zelos is 28, Sheena is 25, Genis is 18, Presea is 18, Raine is 29, Abyssion is 29, Leviathan is 22, Seles is 20, Allurya is 10, Mithos is 18, Karina is 17, Kyle is 17, Reala is 18, Loni is 25, Nanaly is 21, and Leon is 18. Stahn and Rutee have also removed their Cruxis Crystals, and therefore they are, respectively, 21 and 20. Philia is 21 as well, but she is expected to be featured less than the other Swordian masters.

This fanfic has the _potential_ to introduce some more characters later on; if so, they will most likely be from either Tales of Destiny 2 or Tales of Eternia. I already have planned another Tales of Destiny 2 introduction... you'll see just who later on ;)

Just a side note, I'm going to be adding some more Tales of Destiny 2 techs. I'll describe them in detail when the time comes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

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Chapter 3: Return of the Masked Swordsman

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Lloyd had been wandering around aimlessly with Colette when they had suddenly been ambushed by a mysterious person. This person bore a Crystal of the Underworld, and that was all they needed to know about him.

He called himself Miktran, and he bore a dark sword.

**abc**

"Just what do you want with us?" Lloyd was furious as he attempted to dodge a Double Demon Fang that had been sent his way.

"Absolutely nothing with you," Miktran said, sending a Chaos Pulse out. "It has to do with that young boy that you've been working with."

"Kyle?" Lloyd jumped back, managing to dodge the Chaos Pulse. "What about him? What do you want with him?"

"Nothing that should concern you," Miktran said. "I've been looking for him a lot as of late. And I know you're acquaintanced with him."

"You bastard!" Lloyd launched a Double Demon Fang at Miktran, which struck true and knocked the foe back.

"You'd better not be affiliated with Atamoni!" Colette was thoroughly enraged, an unusual state for her, as she launched a Torrential Para Ball at Miktran.

The foe, however, dodged the attack. "And so what if I am?"

"Then we're just going to have to kill you!" Lloyd performed Hurricane Thrust, which also missed. "Dammit!"

"You can't possibly kill me," Miktran said. "If you somehow did, we'd fight on in the afterlife!"

"You can obviously take on two angels," a new voice suddenly said, one that both Lloyd and Colette recognized. "But can you take on three?"

And with that, a familiar masked swordsman appeared out of seemingly nowhere, wings and swords drawn.

"Leon!" Colette looked at the newcomer confusedly. "You've come back?"

"Why are you wearing your old clothes?" Lloyd questioned.

"It's a long story," the masked swordsman said. "For now, watch your back!"

Lloyd turned again to Miktran, but was caught off-guard by an Execution attack, and fell back.

"You stupid humans," Miktran said. "You don't know your limitations yet!"

"As if!" The masked swordsman snorted. "You're just as worthless as you were ten years ago."

"Juudas..." Miktran glanced up. "It's you again..."

"Yes, it's me again," Judas said. "And this time, my name is to stay!"

Judas leaped forward, swinging his longsword and creating a circle of dark energy on the ground. He jumped back and swung both his swords, causing the circle to explode upwards in a burst of dark energy, which he called Majin Meisatsuen.

"Nice one, Judas," Lloyd said, immediately recognizing his friend by his old name.

"Fighting fire with fire, eh?" Miktran snorted. "Soon you'll be on the ground begging for mercy."

"Oh yeah?" Judas smirked. "Let's just say Chaltier here has something to say about your antics."

And with that, Judas leaped forward again and thrust Chaltier's blade into Miktran's abdomen.

"Graaaaaaaggghhhhhh!" Miktran quickly fell back and off of the sword's blade. "You won't get me next time!" And with that, he disappeared, leaving no trace.

"Hey, Judas," Lloyd said, casually sheathing his swords.

"Funny you call me Judas now," Judas said, sheathing his own swords. "Well, I guess I really am Judas after all... one little name change isn't gonna change anything."

"Why did you switch back anyhow?" Colette asked, putting away her chakrams.

"Marian preferred me as Judas," Judas said, smiling.

"You'll do anything for Marian..." Lloyd smiled.

"Yeah..." Judas tilted his head. "How's Kyle doing?"

"He's just fine," Lloyd said. "Although we kinda walked in on him and Reala last night..."

Judas sweatdropped. "Don't mind those two, they're always like this."

"So I noticed," Lloyd said. "Well, you want to get heading back to Triet?"

"Sure," Judas said. "Just so long as you have a room reserved for me and Marian..." he blushed a little.

"Oh, of course," Lloyd said. "Anything for a friend."

"Thanks..." Judas blushed some more, hanging his head a little.

"Aw, it's okay," Lloyd said. "No need to be so embarrassed about it."

"Let's head back now," Judas said. "The others are probably worried about you."

"Yeah..." Lloyd hung his head.

Together the three walked back to Triet, all lost in thought.

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Author's Note: Okay, a few notes for all of you. I've beaten Tales of Destiny 2, so I now understand a lot more about what's going on.

1. Miktran is the Japanese name of one of the villains from Tales of Destiny. The reason I'm using the Japanese name instead of the English name (Kronos) is because I've grown more familiar with the name Miktran since he's featured in Tales of Destiny 2, and I think it sounds better.

2. Majin Meisatsuen is the base skill for Giren Shoureizan and Majin-Rengoku-Satsu in Tales of Destiny 2. It's also Judas' ultimate tier 2 skill.

3. Instant Nova is actually _Ancient Nova_. My mistake. Hehe.

4. There's going to be a lot of fluff in the next chapter.

Just wanted to tell all of you guys. :)


	5. Warmth

Shadow's Return: A Fanfic by Gyppy

Timeline: Based 2 years after 'Crystal Feathers'

Summary: Nebilim's will had been broken for a final time, and Symphonia was finally at peace after four years of hard fighting. The group that saved Symphonia parted ways, expecting to never see each other again.

However, the miasma has returned, and Lloyd has no idea why. The Tower of Destruction's ground is concealed by a rolling shadow, one that threatens to conceal the land. At the same time, the crystals have returned, obviously to defend the land... so there are obviously two opposing forces at work.

Lloyd sets out once again on a journey to save the world. However, this time he will be saving more than just the world...

Pairings: LloydxColette, SheenaxZelos and KylexReala will be the predominant pairings, with a few sprinklings of others, especially LonixNanaly and JudasxMarian.

Author's Note: Okay, this is what you call serious AU. This fanfic is the hotly-anticipated sequel to Crystal Feathers, which was the third in a series dubbed 'Rising Shadow'. If you'll notice, the entire series thus far has had the same rating, with sexual references and language generally increasing with time. I can't guarantee anything about this fanfic, so please expect anything.

There will be big-time spoilers for Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny and Tales of Destiny 2, so if you do not desire to be spoiled on any of these games, do not read on.

There will be a few changes in this chapter, you'll see soon...

To all you ZelosxSheena haters, I advise you stay very far away from this fanfic. Reason why? Zelos and Sheena are _married_ in this fanfic. Yep, that's right. It happened around a year after Crystal Feathers, which was why it wasn't mentioned in CF.

Some of you may have noticed that although KratosxRaine is indeed an official pairing in this fanfic series, there haven't been very many references to it in the actual series. There is a reason for this that I hope you've realized by now: I do not wish to offend any of the purists who happen to read my fanfic. This is to encourage more readers (and hopefully, more reviewers), while still keeping the interest of those that like the pairing.

This fanfic is based two years after Crystal Feathers, four years after To Kill An Angel, six years after Rising Shadow. For those of you who can't do the math, Lloyd is 23, Colette is 22, Zelos is 28, Sheena is 25, Genis is 18, Presea is 18, Raine is 29, Abyssion is 29, Leviathan is 22, Seles is 20, Allurya is 10, Mithos is 18, Karina is 17, Kyle is 17, Reala is 18, Loni is 25, Nanaly is 21, and Judas is 18. Stahn and Rutee have also removed their Cruxis Crystals, and therefore they are, respectively, 21 and 20. Philia is 21 as well, but she is expected to be featured less than the other Swordian masters.

This fanfic has the _potential_ to introduce some more characters later on; if so, they will most likely be from either Tales of Destiny 2 or Tales of Eternia. I already have planned another Tales of Destiny 2 introduction... you'll see just who later on ;)

Just a side note, I'm going to be adding some more Tales of Destiny 2 techs. I'll describe them in detail when the time comes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Destiny/Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Namco, Final Fantasy or Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

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Chapter 4: Warmth

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It was a quiet and lonely night in Triet, and all the comrades were exhausted. They decided to stay indoors, with only a few venturing outside.

Judas, however, insisted on staying inside. He had his own room, and wished to speak a little with Marian...

**abc**

"Marian, can you hear me?" Judas whispered quietly.

Marian's form appeared next to the bed Judas was sitting on. "Yes, I can hear you just fine."

"Hello," Judas said, smiling up at his lover.

"Hi," Marian said informally, sitting down next to Judas. "What did you call me out for?"

"Oh, nothing," Judas said. "I just wanted to talk to you for a while, that's all..."

"About what?" Marian gently draped an arm around Judas' neck.

"You can't age now, right?" Judas gazed into Marian's eyes. "What will we do... when I get older?"

"I can alter my physical appearance, you know," Marian said. "So, technically I could live as a girl around your age... but I choose not to, because I know you're more comfortable with me this way."

"Yeah..." Judas blushed a little. "But... y'know... you don't have to go out of your way so I like you more... I love you either way, no matter how old you are or how you look..."

"This reminds me," Marian said, giggling a little. "What do you think will happen with Loni and Nanaly? It's obvious they like each other, but they don't seem to be too comfortable with being together..."

Judas snickered. "Those two will get along just fine in a year or two. Heck, they may even be married. Who knows. But at any rate..." he leaned his head into Marian's shoulder. "Should we get going to sleep?"

"Nah," Marian said, grinning mischievously and pushing Judas down on the bed. "I want to do a little something first..."

**abc**

In the next room over, Kyle and Reala were sitting on their bed, side-by-side. They had been chatting for a while, but then Kyle decided to bring something up.

"Reala..." he whispered, almost directly into her ear.

"Yes, Kyle?" Reala perked up.

"Are you happy I'm here?" Kyle asked, leaning a little closer to Reala.

"Of course I'm happy you're here," Reala said. "You're my beloved..."

"Aww, thanks, Reala," Kyle said, smiling. "You know you're so cute..."

"Thank you," Reala said, blushing deeply. "I think you're cute too." She smiled.

Kyle blushed profusely. "Hehe... yeah... I know you think I'm cute..."

"So, Kyle..." Reala glanced away, taking her mind off the subject. "Do you think we'll be okay tomorrow? I mean, we're going out to look for Barbatos, after all..."

"Don't worry," Kyle said. "If that Miktran guy is dead, we should be fine. And he probably is, considering what Judas said."

"Thank you for reassuring me, Kyle," Reala said, leaning against Kyle. "And, by the way..."

"Hmm?" Kyle looked up at Reala.

"I love you," Reala said. "Now and forever."

"I love you too," Kyle said, wrapping an arm around Reala. "My sweet little pink flower..."

Reala blushed. "I'm not _that_ pink, you know..."

"Yeah, I know..." Kyle giggled. "But I felt like being poetic."

"Yes, I understand," Reala said, giggling. "You're so cute when you're happy."

"I'm cute?" Kyle blushed. "Eheheh... thanks..."

Reala embraced Kyle. "You're the cutest..."

Kyle snuggled against Reala, and soon enough the two were laying down in the bed, parallel to each other, gazing into each other's eyes.

"You're so warm," Kyle said, smiling broadly.

"You're warmer," Reala said, giggling.

"Nah, _you're_ warmer," Kyle said, blushing a bit.

Reala blushed. "I still think you're warmer."

"Aww, thanks, Reala," Kyle said, giggling and pulling Reala close. "Goodnight..." he suddenly froze as he heard a rather loud noise from the next room.

Reala sweatdropped. "I think I know what that was..."

"Yeah..." Kyle blushed profusely. "But let's not worry about that now... goodnight, Reala."

"Goodnight, Kyle..." Reala snuggled up to Kyle, a smile on her face.

Together the two drifted off into sleep, still holding each other close.

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Author's Note: Whoo, need to tone down the sexual references a bit. Not sure if this chapter will get me an M rating or not.

Anyway, just a short piece of fluff since I was really in the mood for it.


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